Prince Harry has come under fire from royal fans after he appeared to stop singing “God Save the King” at the end of his grandmother’s funeral.
Harry’s biographer, Angela Levin, was
among many who retweeted a clip seemingly showing the Duke of Sussex, 38,
tight-lipped as those around him sang the anthem in tribute to his estranged
father.
It showed King Charles III fighting
back tears as Westminster Abbey erupted into a rousing chorus of “God Save the
King” to bring the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II to an emotional end.
The king did not sing the anthem,
which is an ode to him — and seemingly nor did Harry, who was shown standing
immediately behind him, staring forward with his mouth closed for the final 10
seconds of the tribute.
Queen Consort Camilla was clearly
singing to the end, as were Charles’ sister, Princess Anne, and her husband,
Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence. The king’s disgraced brother Andrew was also
moving his mouth in the shot, as were his daughters behind him.
An earlier shot also showed the other senior royals — including Harry’s once-close brother, Prince William, and his family — all clearly singing.
It was not immediately clear if
Harry’s wife, fellow royal critic Meghan Markle, 41, was singing a tribute to
her father-in-law, with a candle blocking her mouth in the now-viral clip.
An insider close to Harry also
insisted that, despite the now-viral clip, the estranged royal did in fact sing
the anthem.
Both he and his wife, however, clearly
mouthed the words when sung later at the Queen’s committal service in Windsor.
Still, royal watchers blasted the
self-exiled prince, accusing him of snubbing the new king despite his promise
last week to “honor” him.
“Total, utter, disrespect for his
father, the nation, the Crown and the monarch,” UK veteran Mike Murphy tweeted
with a series of angry-face emojis.
“Strip him of all of his royal titles
and funding. How much will NETFLIX want him then,” he asked of the Duke and
Duchess’ million-dollar media deals since quitting the UK and royal life.
Others also insisted it was a clear
snub by Harry of his dad, whom he has blamed for bringing “pain and suffering”
to him — which ultimately led to his decision to flee to California with his
actress wife.
“He couldn’t be anymore disrespectful
if he tried,” one royal watcher tweeted, while another noted how it must be
“terribly awkward when the king is your dad and you’re sitting right behind
him.” The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had
been in the UK for a rare trip when Queen Elizabeth II died. But the exiled
royal reportedly only found out about his grandmother’s death five minutes
before the palace’s official announcement. Harry was then forbidden from wearing
his military uniform to his grandmother’s funeral, where he also notably sat
far from his estranged brother, new heir William, 40.
While William’s eldest children were
front and center at the ceremony, Harry and Meghan are said to be “furious”
that their own kids, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, may not get His and Her Royal
Highness titles.